Clear Skies!
by animeo
Summary: One hot summer night, the lives of four siblings are turned upside-down, when Otori Chotarou arrives at their doorstep with his "brother" Niou in-tow. Claiming to be the husband of their sister, Seiichi, and the siblings are finding it hard to accept this
1. Chapter I

**I know I shouldn't do this...But I' mstaring yet another multi-chapter fic but this one is Silver pair so its ok right? I hope so, because I've already started it and I need to get off my Platinum train for a little while. Speaking of those, "A week of Hell" and "A Womanless Pageant?" Will be updated...eventually when I finally get off my lazy ass and do it. So please be patient on those if you would.**

**I do not own Prince of Tennis nor do I own "Clear Skies!" I'm merely borrowing the name and a little bit of the plot line.**

**You will notice that this is a mixture of Rikkai and Hyotei, because I can't do just one school because I suck. Well do enjoy it anyways! Here is Clear Skies! Chapter 1!**

* * *

He sat in a corner, the early afternoon sunlight highlighting his already pale hair. His candy-hued eyes took in the light as he looked towards the window, but it wasn't clear what he was seeing.

There was nothing unusual about this picture, and the effect had nothing to do with the light. As Shishido Ryou peered at the man's profile, he thought to himself that he was never quite sure what Otori Chotarou was thinking

"Hey, Chotarou, answer me." Shishido said, his voice impatient as he tapped the desk with his fingers, fully aware that Otori wasn't listening.

"Huh?" Otori replied, his chin resting on his hands as he stared blankly out the window. It seemed it seemed that hearing his name had finally made him realized just where he was. "I'm sorry Shishido-san could you say that again?"

"You…" Shishido sighed deeply, bringing his hands to the wrinkles that were lodged between his brows. "How many times are you going to make me repeat myself?

It was a fairly regular occurrence for Shishido to become angry with Otori. Still, Shishido couldn't control his irritation. Ignoring the effect his actions would have on people around him, he hit the desk and cried out loudly his voice rang through the already loud editorial department located by the river in Suidoubashi, right next to Tokyo Dome.

"But look, there's a family of ducks on the river," Otori said as if that was some sort of excuse. The kind tone of his words didn't fit at all with his calm face as he pointed out the window towards the Kanda River.

"Ducks?" Shishido squawked. "Are ducks more important than the first issue of the new magazine?"

"But no matter what I'm told, I don't really understand," Otori replied. "You're the one who puts the schedule together, and I won't remember unless you tell me right before the deadline…"

"Aren't I always telling you to grow up and stop saying things like that?" Shishido clenched his teeth and mussed his overly long brown hair, unsure of where to begin getting angry with this irresponsible writer he was in charge of.

The members of the editorial department tried not to listen as they waited for the yelling to calm down.

Shishido stood up suddenly.

"Don't be angry. I'll listen this time," Otori said, his face calm as he smiled at Shishido.

"Otori wasn't really the type of person to get angry or start yelling. He was a popular author who had single-handedly raised the floundering sales of _Asimov_, a science fiction magazine. Without Otori this scinc fiction and fantasy editorial room would be a bicycle shop.

And Shishido, currently yelling at Otori, was a young editor who had brought the popular author to the magazine. After only two years of work, he already commanded respect from his co-workers.

No one was quite sure exactly what sort of relationship the two men shared.

"Ugh." like always, Shishido lost the will to fight after his initial outburst. Tearing at his hair, he let out a bitter sigh. He took a highlighter from his pocket. "Don't worry about it. We'll figure it out over lunch. How about soba noodles?"

"Shishido-san," Otori said, not moving from his chair. He grabbed the end of Shishido's shirt and pulled.

"What?"

"Let's eat here. I made lunch. How could you forget?" Otori slowly began opening the purple-wrapped package that Shishido had noticed earlier.

"Uh…"

"I thought we could eat together, so I brought a stacked lunch box," Otori beamed. "Oh, and I brought a thermos of tea from home, since you're so picky about your tea."

Shishido stared dizzily at the lunch box spread out on top of the dirty desk and sat down unsteadily in his chair.

"the rolled omelet is pretty good today. Oshitari-san said it had to be sweet, so I made it pretty sweet," Otori said, properly setting a small dish in front of Shishido and beginning to divide the egg up with chopsticks. Shishido merely held his head and made no move o take up his own chopsticks.

Otori tilted his head to the side and picked up a piece of egg. "What's wrong Shishido-san? Are you too tired to even hold up your chopsticks?" He used his chopsticks to bring a piece of egg near Shishido's mouth and, as if coaxing a child, said "Open wide!"

"I can eat by myself!" Shishido yelled.

Laughter rang from the part-time female university-student workers and the editorial staff. Shishido grabbed the chopsticks and stuffed the food in his mouth.

"How is it?" Good?" Otori asked, his face was as expectant as that of a new wife.

Shishido scowled.

"Too sweet?" Otori inquired further.

"It's fine! Just shut up!" Shishido said, unsure of what else to say to make Otori be quite.

"Okay," Otori said, smiling and beginning to eat his own lunch.

Shishido's brows knitted together and he reluctantly took up his chopstick and began shoving eggs inot his mouth.

At a glance, Otori's calm and collected face as he ate his lunch did not match at all with what he'd said. Shishido sighed, thinking of the huge gap between Otori's cold exterior and what he was really like inside. Perhaps that was why the women nearby couldn't contain their laughter. It made sense that the disparity between Otori's appearance and his personality seemed strange, but Shishido suddenly couldn't stand the laughter pressing down on him from all sides. And it was no wonder that they found it odd that two men were sitting across from each other in the editorial department eating the lunch that one of the had brought.

"Chotarou," Shishido said, putting his chopsticks down. He had been drawn into Otori's world once again. "Why should I calmly sit here and eat a boxed lunch with you at work?"

"I don't see what's calm about it. But what's the big deal?" There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Otori replied, using the end of his chopsticks to play with an octopus-shaped piece of weiner. He smiled. "We're no strangers anymore, you know."

"You!" Shishido said, slamming his hands on the desk so hard the lunch box fell over. "I told you not to talk about that in front of other people! This is my workplace!"

"But we're not unknown to each other anymore," Otori said. He lifted his head to look at Shishido, who had stood up again. "You're my darling little brother."

"I'm going to kill you!" Shishido cried forcefully, his anger due only in part to the short temper he had gained from growing up in the old downtown Tokyo

* * *

To find out just how the author and his boss stopped being "strangers," one would have to go back in time twenty days before, to the sweltering evening of Marine Day, a holiday that no one cared very much about.

"Hello!"

Someone pounded on the ground-glass door of the old-fashioned Shishido house, which even now didn't have an intercom.

"Will somebody get that?" Shishido, the eldest of the house, said. Taking advantage of the absence of his older sister Seiichi, a Hanshin Tigers fan, he was stretched out and watching a post-dinner baseball game between the Yomiuri Giants and the Chunichi Dragons.

He turned to his brother Jackal, the third son, who was drinking beer in the corner of the living room as he polished a boxing glove. "Brazilian Beater," his idiotic ring name, was embroidered on the wrist of the glove.

"I'm busy," Jackal said. "Have Oshitari get it!"

Jackal, the tallest member of the household, and with a middle-aged face that id not seem appropriate for a man of only twenty, yelled at his brother Oshitari, who was two years older and currently cleaning the kitchen up after dinner.

"I'm washing," Oshitari said. "I can't go. Marui, you go answer it."

"I'm studying!" Marui, the youngest complained from the dinner table, working on some school worksheets. "Shishido, you're just watching TV. You go answer the door."

Although Marui was the smallest in the house no one else had a louder voice.

"I'm the head of the family," Shishido said. "I can't just go answer the door."

"I'm studying!" Marui retorted. "It's my duty as a student. If you going to bother me, then why don't you just do my homework for me? It's English…"

Shishido, unable to argue with that logic, shook his head.

"And I had work today, a holiday," he muttered. "all because of that stupid novelist."

"No matter what you say, you can't turn Marui down," Jackal said, laughing into his glove.

"Shut up. Besides you're all making it hotter. If you have something to do, go do it on the second floor."

Shishido kicked the side o the table, annoyed as always that everyone was gather here even though Jackal had his own six-tatami-mat-sized room upstairs and Marui and Oshitari an eight-tatami-mat one.

"But it's cooler here," Marui answered cheeks puffing out.

"Don't say 'but'…"

"Besides, the only TV in the house is in here. And grandfather, too!" Marui pointed towards the porch. Bass, the old dog that lived in the yard, was stretched out on the porch watching television.

"Marui. I'll say it again-- Bass isn't your grandfather," Oshitari interjected.

Marui merely continued petting the head of 'grandfather,' who continued watching the night game.

"He's always so lazy," Jackal added.

"It's hot!" Marui complained. "Right, Grandfather? Hey, Shishido, let's buy an air conditioner. Grandfather says e wants one too."

"I told you to cut it out!" Deciding not to bicker with his siblings anymore, Shishido reluctantly got to his feet. He stuck a hand down his sloppy aloha pants and scratched himself between his legs, heading for the entryway. Seiichi had brought the pants from Hawaii ten years ago, but Shishido was the only one who continued to wear them even now.

He walked down the hall past Seiichi's room, which was to the right of the entryway. Shishido's room was to the right of the stairs. Their parents had passed away over ten years ago, and, including the absent Marui, the five of them had lived in the house together ever since.

Suddenly, light footsteps sounded from behind Shishido. Marui, who should have been focused on studying, jumped up and down, and grabbed Shishido's arm.

"Ugh, it's too hot for that," Shishido protested.

"I thought I'd come with you!" Marui said with laugh, sticking a tongue out and peeking up at Shishido.

"Hey, don't hang on to me. You're such a little kid," Shishido said. He grinned and lifted Marui up onto his back.

"Ahh! Stop it, Shishido!" Marui protested.

Jackal had been correct that Shishido was helpless against Marui, the youngest child. Their relationship probably seemed very strange to onlookers.

"Excuse me," a voice called.

"I'm coming! Who could it be at this time of the night?" Shishido wondered with the ease of someone used to the neighborly relationships of the old downtown area.

With Marui still on his back, he opened the door.

"Good evening…" The visitor, smiling with a calmness that seemed totally at odds with the hot weather, made Shishido doubt his eys for a second. "Sorry for showing up so late. I missed my airplane."

The smiling man was holding on to a giant suitcase that was familiar to Shishido, ut this guy should have been in Kyoto.

"C…Chotarou?" Shishido gasped. "What's going on?"

"Like I said, I was late for my plane. I thought I'd arrive in the afternoon, but I had to wait for a cancellation, and here I am. I should have taken the bullet train. Is it summer vacation already?"

"Yea, the students are off starting from today," Shishido replied automatically. "Wait a minute. What are you doing here?"

"Is this your friend, Shishido?" Marui asked, shaking Shishido's back.

"Oh, he was my high school classmate," Shishido said. "I'm in charge of him now…"

"Oh, so 'Chotarou' is 'Otori Chotarou'? The famous author who writes for Shishido's science fiction magazine? That's so cool," Marui said. "Can I have your autograph?"

"Fine, I'll get it for you. Just go over there." Confused, Shishido helped Marui down.

"Hey!" A harsh voice from somewhere called Marui. "A lowly student can't speak to Otori Chotarou like that."

Surprised by the thumping voice that sounded like it belongs in a gang movie, Shishido looked around. A face peered out from behind Otori, belonging to what had to be a yakuza gangster.

"Who…who is that?" Shishido asked.

"I came al the way from Kansai and I'm really tired, so let me in!" The young man had long, bleached hair that tied back into a rat tail, and pierced ears. He looked like he should be sitting on street corner somewhere in Shibuya, and his manner of speaking was definitely that of a yakuza's. "How long are you going to make us stand here?"

"Ah," Marui cried piercingly, hiding behind Shishido. "Jackal! Come here! There's a yakuza!"

"What/ Who are you calling a yakuza, young lady!?" The yakuza-looking man screeched.

"Marui tried to run way. But the so-called yakuza grabbed the collar of the tight shirt Maui was wearing despite the heat. Whether he was a yakuza or not, it was no wonder he felt driven to violence after being called one- probably so many times already.

"hey, cut it out! What are you doing to Marui?" Shishido yelled.

"Stop it, Niou," Otori cried hastily and stopped the so-called yakuza.

"I'm not doing anything," the young man, Niou, said. "I just thought I'd give her a bit of a lesson."

Hearing the noise, Jackal burst from the entry way, crying his gloves.

"Jackal!" Mayumi cried and leaped at Jackal's chest.

Holding on to Marui, Jackal grabbed hold of Niou's shirt collar. "What have you done to Marui?"

Oshitari, still in the middle of washing up, came running in from the kitchen, a ladle brandished in one hand. "What are you guys doing in the entryway? Do you want the whole neighborhood to hear you?"

"Calm down," Otori said. "Just stop it! Niou isn't a yakuza! He's a wholesome young man!"

His teeth clenched, Jackal didn't relinquish his grip on Niou's shirt. "Wholesome? Do you even know what that means?"

"Sop it Jackal," Oshitari said. "You shouldn't judge people by their appearances! I mean, if I looked at you…"

"I'm a boxer. I don't care if I look scary!" Jackal protested

Niou expressed his doubt. "Hmm. So boxers can just people whenever they want to?"

Jackal's face grew even more threatening. "If a robber shows up, I don't care if I kill him!"

"Well, we're neither yakuza nor robbers, so don't set your heart on killing us," Otori said, inserting his thin body between Jackal and Niou, and setting his large suitcase down in the entryway. "Um…so I guess you haven't heard?"

The siblings exchanged blank looks. "Heard what?"

"We're all going to be living here together from now on," Otori said seriously.

The siblings froze. "What do you mean _we_?"

"Me and Niou," Otori clarified.

"Haven't' heard what? From who?" Totally clueless the siblings glanced at each other again as they kept firing off questions.

"From Seiichi," Otori replied. "Haven't you heard _anything_?"

Hear his sister's name from Otori's lips, Shishido was shocked and entirely confused. "No…and how do you know Seiichi-nee?"

At a loss, Otori smiled and shook his head.

"I'm her husband."

His impeccable expression and factual statement didn't fit at all with his shy air. Yet the siblings had no comprehension of how shy he really was.

"Huh?" They all gasped.

"We're married. Seiichi and I," Otori said carefully to Shishido, who was frowning like an old man with a hearing problem.

Voices jumbled together it was no longer clear who was saying what as they repeated Otori's words.

"Wha--?"

"Wh…what?"

"Married?"

"So that means…" Otori smiled kindly, facing the group as if unaware of their turmoil. "…You're now my darling little brothers."

Hearing those words from Otori's grinning face, the cries of the four siblings reverberated throughout the downtown Tokyo neighborhood of Ryuuzu-cho Ward 3.

* * *

**So did I do ok? I hope so, and I hope all of you guys liked it as well! so do review if you would like. I don't really have much to say since this is only the first chapter.**

**Your faithful authoress,**

**animeo**


	2. Chapter II

**Hello all! I'm back again with another chapter, I'm getting these out surprisingly fast. I don't think very people are looking at this story just yet, but I think they will soon enough, it just takes time for word to get out I guess. It took me about 10 chapters befores I started reading a tango pair fic...I just got tired of looking at it so often that I just thought _what the hell I'll look at it. _And I really liked it...So hopefully that will happen for several people. Enjoy eveyone!**

* * *

"I don't accept this."

The discussion had been moved to the living room, where a family conference was taking place around the huge table.

"It doesn't make sense," Shishido, the head of the family, said. He sat cross-legged at the head of the table, fanning his topless upper half with a paper fan.

"I don't believe it. With a bluff younger brother like me, there's no way that Seiichi-nee would be involved with such a young, wussy guy," Jackal said illogically, smacking the tatami.

I don't know," Marui interjected. "Seiichi-needed say that men were best when they were young. And he really seems like her type."

"Don't say things like that," Shishido scolded Marui, who was sitting next to him, face propped in hands. Shishido turned to Otori, who was sitting across from him, legs properly folded underneath him, seiza-style. "Chotarou, how do you know Seiichi-nee?"

"We met at a publisher's New year's party. She started the conversation by saying 'Thanks for always taking care of Shishido,'" Otori said, smiling and lightly thumping the legs of Niou, who sat next to him. "The conversation ended with her saying, 'Will you marry me?'"

No one had any response to Otori's frank statement. They had no proof to offer that Seiichi wasn't the kind of person who would say things like that.

"So your relationship has lasted for over half a year…" Shishido said.

"Well, that was the second time we met," Otori confessed.

Shishido touched the space between his eyebrows at this unnecessary information.

"No!" Maybe he suddenly sensed his sister's hand in this whole thing, but for whatever reason, Jackal suddenly started speaking in an urgent voice.

"No! No way! Seiichi-nee can't be married!" He slammed his face down against the table and began shrieking like an overgrown kindergartener.

"So, you married her," Marui said.

"You're okay with his Marui?" Jackal asked, horrified.

"Of course I'm not okay! Seiichi-nee's husband should be someone like Shishido or Oshitari, or Jackal." Marui looked at said brothers in the room, none of who was at all like Otori.

"What's this, a brother complex?" Niou said, seemingly shocked as he looked at Marui.

"What's wrong with that?" Marui demanded.

"Now, everyone just hold on a second," Oshitari said, coming in from the kitchen where he had prepared barely tea for everyone. He set the cups down on the table.

"this is Seiichi-nee's problem." Oshitari gave his opinion calmly as he put a glass of cold barley tea in from of Shishido. "If she is married, we should be happy for her. Right, Shishido?"

"Of course," Shishido mumbled, folding his arms and staring at the tea. "Even though Seiichi-nee is really beautiful, she's very strong-minded, and probably because she's worked as a backstreet reporter, she's way too independent. Plus she's already over thirty, so as the head of the family, I'm happy to think that someone is taking care of her."

He sighed, knowing he would never be able to say such things if Seiichi were actually there.

"If Seiichi-nee heard you say that, she'd kill you," Marui murmured, drinking the tea.

So you're going to allow this to go on?" Jackal said, raising his face a bit.

"But Jackal, Shishido knows Otori-san. If he says it's okay…" Marui started to say.

"Let me finish," Shishido said before Marui and Jackal could jump to any more conclusion. He looked directly at Otori. "I'm glad to know that Seiichi-nee is being taken care of, but you're not the right person to do it."

Waiting for an answer, Shishido shook his head still looking at Otori.

"Me?" Otori said, his face expressionless. His eyes seemed a bit sad and Shishido hesitated for a moment, bust instead of taking back his words he just shook his head again.

"No matter how scary she is, Seiichi-nee is my sister, and I want her to be happy," Shishido continued.

"Now wait just a minute!"

Niou, who had been obediently listening to Shishido, violently slammed his barely tea on the table.

"What's that supposed to mean? What's wrong with Chotarou?"

Unable to control himself any longer, he stood up from the table, banging booth his knees in the process, and approached Shishido. "Huh? What do you mean he's not the right person? Explain!"

"Nioiu, calm down," Otori said, hastily grabbing a hold of Niou's shirt.

Jackal, raring for a fight, slapped a fist against the table and stood up as well. "if Shishido says he's not the right person, he's not. Hat are you, his pimp?"

"Pimp? What are you, his perverted body guard?" Niou yelled.

"Perverted body guard?" Jackal's eyes narrowed as he looked down at Niou. He reached down and grabbed hold of Niou's shirt.

"Niou!"

"Jackal!"

Shishido and Otori tried to pull apart the young men that were snarling at each other like wild dogs and raising their arms as if to brawl.

"What's the matter with you?"

"What are you trying to do, start a fight?"

Shishido and Otori's comments were extremely similar as they pinned their respective hotheads' arms behind their backs. However, their height differences unbalanced them and the four men tumbled to the floor.

"Ow!"

"Ugh!"

"Ah!"

"Ouch!"

They slammed against the table and the tatami, colliding into each other.

"What'd you have to stop us for?" the combatants whined.

The old-fashioned black phone in the living room rang then, interrupting the burgeoning conflict.

Shishido scowled, rubbing his shoulder where it had rammed into Jackal's hard head, and pointed at the phone. "Marui, will you get that?"

Marui, who had retreated to the corner of the room, answered affirmatively in a cheerful manner that seemed somehow inappropriate to the current proceedings and picked up the phone.

"Hello," Marui said. "Oh, hi Seiichi-nee."

"Seiichi!"

"Give me that!" Shishido grabbed the phone from Marui and everyone gathered close to hear. "Hello? Seiichi-nee? Yea, Otori and Niou are here. What the hell is going on? Suddenly--"

Even Otori, from his seated position at the back of the group, could hear Seiichi's voice ring out from the receiver in response to her brother's negative words.

"Couldn't you at least have told us? No way! The two of them can't just live here," Shishido said, fully in his most stubborn 'head of the family' mode. His angry cries reached through the whole neighborhood. "your room? You need to come home right way! You're stuck at the hotel? A honeymoon after you finish your article? First you need to come home so we can talk--"

Suddenly, some of Shishido's anticipation dissipated. The low, strong voice continued to drip from the phone and was audible throughout the room. Both Jackal, who had seemed prepared to add his own complains, and Marui regarded the receiver as if it was their sister--- They were sitting properly, hands atop their thighs.

"Fine…okay." His posture stiff and unmoving, Shishido's empty hand dropped. "I understand."

with a tiny sound, Shishido put the phone down. Shoulders slumped gloomily, he returned to the table with the rest of the group.

"What's this? The atmosphere sure has changed. are you all that scared of your sister?" Niou, sitting gross-legged with hi chin on his hands, laugh at their fright.

"You shut up! And haven't you met Seiichi-nee?" Jackal said, somewhat deflated.

"If you had met her, you'd understand," Oshitari said cheerfully, but with a bitter smile. "No one can stand up her."

"So are you guys going on a honeymoon?" Shishido asked in completely different spirits from before. He had no desire to accept this marriage, but after hearing the truth from his sister, prospects seemed dim.

"Yea. Seiichi really wants to go to South America," Otori replied.

"She said you're leaving five days from now," said Shishido.

"Seiichi wanted to leave on that day," Otori agreed.

"So you just do what she says." Niou sighed, a bit shamefully.

"What about your assignment? He extra one-shot piece?" Shishido was still partially angry, but he also had his other responsibilities to worry about.

"I'll get it done," Otori promised. "I already did half. I wanted to wait to come here until it was done," but…"

Shishido stared at Otori in a pessimistic manner. "If you're not finished, I won't let you go."

"Don't worry, It'll get done," Otori said, more relaxed that someone in his position had a right to be.

As might be expected, the day of Otori's and Seiichi's departure came, and Otori wasn't done with his assignment. The new bride had no intention of wasting her ticket, so she left her new husband behind and headed off from her hotel, seemingly unconcerned with the fact that it was supposed to be her honeymoon.

But unthinkable circumstances were awaiting the members of the family.

* * *

Seiichi didn't return on the tenth as she had planned, and there was no notice of her whereabouts. She had apparently said that she was going on a river tour and left her hotel, and the local coordinator had absolutely no contact from her since.

And so, although the new husband and wife weren't seeing each other, the new husband and his wife's siblings continued their strange coexistence.

"You dropped some egg," Otori said.

Shishido picked it up and sighed.

"Why are you always so angry?" Otori asked. "Are you unhappy that I made the wieners in the shape of octopi?"

"Ugh!" Shishido groaned.

"How about soft-boiled egg tomorrow?" Otori asked.

"Are you listening at all? I never said I didn't like the food," Shishido growled, picking up the chopsticks rolling on the top of the desk, wiping them, and attempting to hand them to Otori.

A sigh sounded from a woman behind them.

"Otori-san, your image totally breaks down when you talk. You seemed so young, handsome, cool, and classy…I mean, that was just the image this one poor female student had, but…"

Holding some papers, she looked down at Otori with obvious disappointment.

"Don't look at him," Shishido said, holding his hands out violently and hiding Otori behind his back.

"Believe me, I didn't want to see his true form," She said, letting out a brief sight and glancing at Otori before departing.

"She's probably going to quite," Shishido whined. "She started at this magazine because she really liked Otori Chotarou. And she was pretty good worker too…"

"Well, if she does quite, tell her not to tell anyone what I'm really like," Otori suggested.

"Even without being told, she knows it's a huge industry secret," Shishido snapped. "Don't you think that you could try to hide it too?"

Otori merely stared at the inside of the lunch box uncomprehendingly.

"And seriously, can you cut it out with the lunches already? I'm begging you," Shishido said.

He grabbed hold of the indifferent Otori's cheeks and repeated the phrases he had said so many times. 'Get it? This face looks best when it's cool and expressionless. Your works sells based on your face, you know. So don't talk tin front of other people. If you destroy science fiction author Otori Chotarou's image without my permission, I'll kill you."

"Why are you trying to crush the little bit of pride I have left?" Otori asked plaintively.

Ignoring Otori's protests, Shishido let go of his face. "I've never heard of you having pride. Seriously stop it with the lunch boxes."

"you won't eat?" Otori asked.

"I'll eat outside," Shishido compromised. "No more eating in the editorial department."

"That's a good idea. It's the perfect season for eating at the park," Otori said, smiling happily and swiftly fixing up the lunch box.

The air conditioning had been on inside, so they didn't notice until they were outside how bad the weather was.

"Ugh." Knowing that voicing how hot it was would only make it seem hotter, Shishido still couldn't help grunting in disgust. He gnawed his cigarette filter as they headed to the park.

Otori, in age-inappropriate linen slacks and a white shirt, wasn't even sweating.

Shishido, no turning around, asked the question he had been posing to Otori over and over again for the past few days.

"Have you heard from Seiichi-nee?"

"No," Otori said, giving the same answer he always did.

"Hmm." Seeing an empty bench in the green park, Shishido walked towards it, sighing. "I guessed we'd better talk."

As he sat on the bench, the cries of children splashing in the water reached their spot.

"What do you mean?" Otori turned a bit at the sound of the rides at the Kourakuen amusement park.

"About what we're going to do now. You can't think that we can just continue on like this. Here, sit," Shishido said, frowning and pointed at the bench.

Otori put the lunch box down between them and sat down with a sad smile. As he unwrapped the lunch box as if nothing was wrong, he asked, " Is something wrong with it?"

"Of course," Shishido shot back, annoyed.

"But I'm the husband of your protector," Otori pointed out. "Until we figure out what's going on, I need to take care of you guys."

Shishido frowned, grabbing the tea that Otori offered him. "What do you mean? We don't need anyone to take care of us."

"But your older sister is gone," Otori said. "There's no one to take care of the house and stuff."

"Do you think that Seiichi-nee comes here everyday and bring me lunch?"

Exhaustion steadily attacking him, Shishido hunched over and let out a long sigh. He picked up a wiener with his fingertips and shoved it in his mouth.

Maybe because he had lived alone for so long, but Otori was an extremely good cook.

"What are you thinking?" Shishido said as if to himself, tasting the nostalgic flavor of Otori's cooking, which he had been eating the past twelve days.

Looking at Shishido's profile, Otori laughed. "I haven't heard you say that in a while."

Turning around to fully face Shishido, he inclined his neck somewhat happily. "You always said that when we were in high school," he murmured.

Along with Otori's words, the sunbeams streaming through the trees onto Otori's white shirt made Shishido momentarily remember their high school years.

_What should I do, Shishido-san?_

Otori as he looked at eighteen rose up before Shishido's eyes.

_Shishido-san?_

Suddenly remembering the last day they had spoken, Shishido shook his head. "I don't have time to remember such stupid tings." Turing aside, he clamped his mouth shut.

"Oh." Otori's answer seemed somehow sad, and he also grew quiet.

A long silence stretched on as the two of them stared listlessly at the dust clouds blowing through the hot park.

* * *

**Ah, another chapter done! I'm really proud of this story actually. I think it is coming along quite nicely don't you? WAH! We heard from Yukimura, and eveyone is afraid of him...her...whatever it is...HER! Wah, Niou is amazin with his pimp-ness. Jacakl is very...grr...is grr an adjective? It is now. Shishido and Otori's past is kinda hazy right now but things should clear up later. Until next time**

**Your faithful Authoress,**

**animeo**


	3. Chapter III

**AH I'm a bad person! I really don't have much of an excuse for my tardyness on this chapter. I never was very good at making up stories or excuses...I maybe a teenager but that doesn't mean I can tell a good one. -sigh- At least the chapter is really long, ne? 4,834 words if you don't count my notes before and after the chapter, seven pages on word at a point ten font size, not too bad in my opinion.  
Man Chistmas has come and gone huh? I'll put what I got on my profile soon. I will say that I did get the first five Tenimyu soundtracks for christmas! I've never watched any of the ones before the first hyoteimyu, so that makes me happy. My sister said that my other stuff would be here in about 3 to 4 weeks on one shipment and 6 to 8 on another. I haven't a clue what she got me, hell I wasn't even expecting the CDs. I still don't have any of the dream lives though TT-TT. Gah I'm rambling now...SORRY! Do Enjoy this chapter -bow- I'm sorry for my lateness.**

* * *

The sound of closing shutters could be heard from the tofu shop across from the house. On the television, the Giants were losing to the Yakult Swallows. Bass the dog, lying on the veranda, was absorbed in watching the game.

In a blur of indefiniteness, Otori had made a meal, and the other members of the house had consumed it sighing - a process that had been going on for twelve days now.

"Isn't this the time for a hunger strike? Or are you saying that you approve of Chotarou?" Niou asked tossing back some after-dinner tea and cleaning his teeth with a toothpick. He turned a scornful gaze at the siblings and their clean plates.

"But if I don't eat, I get hungry," Marui said reasonably. "And when I get hungry bad things happen."

"Plus, Otori-san's cooking is really good." Oshitari, who had been the least opposed to Otori from the start, smiled shamefully.

"I don't approve, but I'm hungry." Jackal the boxer, torn between his ideals and his hunger, glared at the empty rice container as if it were not enough.

"I'm just eating because you decided to cook," Shishido said, breaking his silence during the meal and looking coldly at Otori. "If we waste even one grain of rice in this house, Seiichi-nee's fist start flying."

Otori didn't answer, and merely started stacking the plates with an air of satisfaction.

"That's just because she has to make us eat her awful cooking somehow," Marui interjected.

"Marui, are you saying bad things about Seiichi-nee?" Jackal growled.

"Are you saying that Seiichi-nee's cooking is good?"

Jackal, who had hoped to cover his own shame by scolding Marui for eating Otori's cooking every day, shut his mouth.

"Yeah, that was torture," Oshitari mumbled. As he did, all the siblings recalled the taste of Seiichi's cooking, blanching at the very thought.

"What kind of cooking was it?" Niou asked.

"Well, anyway," Otori said, taking notice of the grim atmosphere as he cleaned the a table. "The cable is on. Who wants to watch the game? It's the Hashin Tigers. Seiichi's a huge fan. Thanks to Niou, I'm a fan too. Aren't all of you…what?"

Otori's plan of cheering up the siblings seemed to have backfired- all of them had fallen into a mood blacker than ever.

"You don't like the Tigers?" Otori asked, inclining his head and asking once more to make sure.

"Don't you understand the meaning of this silence?" Shishido said darkly. "We hate the Tigers so much that we could die. And one of the good things about Seiichi-nee being gone is that we don't have to use the one television in the house to watch the Tiger's primetime games."

Shishido, who had turned the game on, pointed at the TV.

"…But the dog is named Bass," Otori murmured . He peered at the old dog, who seemed to be a Giants fan, and began gathering up the pieces of evidence from the people in this household were in fact Tigers fans. "Oshitari-kun's name is written the same was as Marui Oshitari, Mr. Tiger."

"Do you think I chose it for myself? I'm a fan of Furuta from the Swallows." Oshitari, displaying an unusual air of defiance, cast his eyes down as he adjusted his glasses - same ones that Furuta wore.

"So is Marui-kun named after him?" Otori continued to probe.

Oshitari sighed, his eyes looking like he was remembering times from long ago.

"There wasn't much of a reason for Marui's name, we just all decided on it."

"I was totally opposed but they gave me the western lariat. It cracked my ribcage and broke my collar bone." Shishido murmured.

Marui smiled, voicing an opposing opinion. "Shishido, you're going to make me cry…but I don't hate the Hanshin Tigers."

"And wasn't 'Jack' Marui Oshitari's nickname when he was an exchange student?" Otori continued.

"No It's not!" Jackal protested. "My names' from a comic book!"

As if to protect their third brother, the two other brothers kept their mouths shut tight.

"Ugh…so where's your name from, Shishido-san?" Otori asked.

Suddenly, the chopsticks in Shishido's hands snapped in two with a sharp sound.

"Ah, Otori-san, that something you really shouldn't ask," Oshitari said in a grim voice, turning his face away.

Marui, who always stuck close to Shishido, slowly drew away from him. "I don't know…"

"Chotarou, why do you want to know the meaning of my name so badly?" Shishido asked in an eerie voice.

Neither affirming nor denying Shishido's dangerous words, Otori merely smiled and stepped away.

"Shishido' is from the Tiger's best pitcher, Shishido Katsuou. Of course I didn't pick it myself," Shishido snapped.

"We've known each other for so long, but I had no idea," Otori mused.

"What, you think it's something I like to talk about?" Shishido growled.

"I see," Otori said admiringly.

Shishido gritted his teeth and said, "Seiichi-nee was four, and she really wanted to name me 'Torakichi', but my parents did everything to stop her." His hair bristled at the story.

Oshitari smiled, trying to soothe his brother, "Seiichi-nee named me when she was seven, That's the last time the Tigers where winning. I mean, if I said that to Seiichi-nee she would get mad but…"

"So I was named with Seiichi-nee was nine?" Jackal asked.

"Hmm, I was named when Seiichi-nee was thirteen," Marui added.

"And of course Bass was named by Seiichi-nee too." Oshitari said, pointing to the old dog and grinning.

"But just because we're named after them doesn't mean that we like the Tigers." They said in unison

"I see. So it's a kind of rebellion?" Otori nodded, expressing his understanding of this philosophy it was surprisingly complex yet stupidly simple at the same time.

"I hate them so much I could die," Shishido repeated.

Not listening, Niou suddenly turned the dial of the able without asking. On the television appeared the siblings much-hated Hanshin Tigers.

"Giant's fans are idiots," Niou said, snickering and throwing out a quintessentially Kansai-area opinion.

Although he didn't hate his name was much as Shishido did his, Jackal had suffered much as a Giant's fan under his sister's tyranny. He grabbed the back of Niou's collar and pulled him o the floor.

"hat are you doing, you hulking beast?"

Niou protested.

"Beast? Who's a beast?" Jackal growled.

"You are! I'd rather be a little guy than a huge beast like you!" Niou yelled.

Niou, who was definitely not large, kicked the much bulkier Jackal.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jackal asked.

"Your circulation is bad. Even though I'm small, I'm much more of a man than you are!" Compensating for his sized with strength, Niou grabbed hold of Jackal's neck and squeezed.

"Cut it out, Niou," Otori said, clearly sick of repeating the same phrase, but wanting to stop Niou anyway.

"Today, I'm going to kill this huge beast!" Niou screamed.

"You think I'll easily get killed by a midget!" Jackal retorted.

Bickering like elementary school children, the two of them grappled, colliding against the table.

"Hurry, let's clean up the table. Marui, you help too," Oshitari said. Used to his brother's fights, he began to take the plates Otori had left behind.

Looking askance at Jackal and Niou fighting, Shishido put the channel back to the Giants game, and the remaining three rescued the dishes and pushed aside the table.

"What the heck?"

Jackal, who had been tormented about his size, picked Niou up and hurled him. Niou landed neatly on the table.

"You jerk!" Jackal yelled.

"Jerk?" Niou squawked. "I'll kill you!"

"What are you talking about?" Jackal scoffed, "If fighting to the death was like this, Seiichi-nee would have killed us a long time ago!"

"Don't talk about your brutal older sister as if she's normal!" Niou replied angrily.

"Brutal older sister?" Even if it was the truth, Jackal grew angrier. H grabbed Niou, who was standing atop the table.

"Cut it out," Otori said, coming in from the kitchen holding a dust cloth. He stood between the two, who were hankering for a second round.

"Ugh…wait…!" Jackal, who as about to punch Otori out, instead found himself pitched forward. He landed face-fist on the floor. "Ow!"

"You've got some really bad timing," Oshitari said, helping Jackal up. He smiled sadly at Otori, who seemed a bit disturbed.

"Get down from the table, Niou," Otori ordered.

"Don't put your feet where we eat."

After being scolded, Niou hesitantly combed down from the table without saying a word. Sulking at being stopped in mid-fight, he plopped down on the floor, sat cross-legged, and took a Short Hope cigarette from his pocket.

"No smoking, Niou. How many times do I have to tell you that?" Otori forcefully snatched the cigarette from between Niou's teeth, plucked out the whole box from the other's pocket, and stuck them in his own.

"It's ok to smoke here. Shishido, Jackal, and Seiichi-nee all do," Oshitari said, about to hand over an ashtray.

Otori waved a hand, smiling. "that's not the issue at all. Don't let Niou smoke, okay?"

"Is it bad for you?" Marui, who had retreated over to where Bass was, asked with an inclined head, staring at Niou.

"He's only a first-year high school student after all," Otori said, shaking his head. He reached down and ruffled Niou's silver-blonde hair.

"First year…high school student?" the siblings exclaimed aloud. Niou looked like a yakuza who had to be at least five years older.

"No way," slipped out of Oshitari's mouth, which me promptly shut.

"You're younger than me," Jackal spat, annoyed by how their match had been.

"Wow. You're the same age as me," Marui said, suddenly feeling friendlier, and grinned at Niou.

"Same age? Aren't you an elementary schooler?" Niou asked, also surprised. He furrowed his brow.

"How rude!" Marui huffed.

"You guys are the rude ones. I'm just a pure-hearted high schooler. You hurt my feelings." Niou turned his face away.

"You should be used to it by now," Otori said, smiling and rubbing Niou's head. "Anyway, why do Jackal and Niou have to fight every day?"

"Because I don't like him," Niou replied easily.

Jackal seemed suddenly bothered by all he had been put through - the sudden marriage, honeymoon troubles, his older sister going missing, and all the other troubles that had been visited upon him in his lifetime.

"So we have to live together in this bizarre way…but what's up with this violent kid you brother with you?"

"Yea, Chotarou," Shishido butted in. "I mean, it makes sense for you to live with Seiichi-nee, but what exactly is Niou to you?"

"are you asking you don't want me here?" Niou said sharply, his short temper showing.

"Niou," Otori said soothingly. He thought silently for a while before replying, "He's my little brother."

"Liar," Shishido said immediately. "I've never heard of you having a brother. When we were in high school, you were an only child. And how could such a feminine guy have a little brother like this?"

"Isn't that a little harsh, Shishido-san?" Otori asked.

"But why does only the little brother have such a strong Kansai accent?" Marui simply asked.

"Niou is…" Otori let out an uncustomary sigh. "He spent the most part of his life in Kishiwada, outside of Osaka."

"Where's that?" Marui asked.

"The place with the Danjiri festival," Oshitari answered.

"Oh isn't that the festival where someone always dies?" Jackal asked, suddenly intrigued with the conversation.

"Anyways, they have a really interesting way of speaking there. Niou's words may sound rough sometimes, but actually he's really kind." Otori turned a serious look on Niou and embraced him.

Although Niou scowled and seemed incredibly uncomfortable he made no attempt to push Otori away. He instead threw a look of hatred at the siblings for making Otori explain.

Even though Otori blamed everything on Niou's background, the siblings shook their heads.

"No way, that's a lie."

"And any way…you've been forced into this ridiculous situation too. It's been five days since you've heard from Seiichi-nee. Face it your marriage is a failure." Jackal said.

"Jackal, it's too early to say that. Besides it would take seven years for Otori-san to get a divorce if Seiichi-nee never comes home." Oshitari said inoffensively.

"Who cares about the law?" his brother retorted. "You've been dumped. Get out."

"And yet you all have no problems eating Chotarou's food," Niou jeered.

"Even though Seiichi-nee's not here, there's no reason for you to be here!" Jackal persisted. "Are you trying to get your hands on our property or something?

"What? Do you think Chotarou is that kind of person? Are you and idiot?" Niou asked incredulously.

As the conversation progressed, Jackal and Niou began grappling again.

"Niou, stop it." Otori came up behind the two and tried to stop them, but they were too flustered.

"Let go, Jackal," Shishido said, grabbing firmly onto Jackal's flailing leg.

"Ow! Cut it out, Shishido," Jackal whined up at his brother from his place with Niou on the tatami.

"Chotarou isn't that kind of guy. And besides, it's not as if we have anything worth stealing," Shishido said unexpectedly.

Niou stared at him in shock.

"Shishido-san…" Otori murmured.

"Don't misunderstand me. Just like Jackal, I'm not a big fan of this whole living together thing. I told you that straight, didn't I?" Shishido said coldly, turning away from the smiling Otori.

A silence fell in the small room. Only Bass the old dog seemed unaffected as he yawned hugely from beside Marui.

"Speaking of which, would everyone please sit down?" Otori dragged the table back to the middle of the room and sat down, his back to the kitchen.

Shishido sat across from him, Marui to his right side, and Jackal to his left. Niou sat to Otori's left, and Oshitari took the spot to his right. Niou and Marui, and Jackal and Oshitari were next to each other. Bass took the porch. It was a familiar position after twelve days.

"I've been thinking about what Shishido-san said to me earlier today," Otori began. "We haven't heard from Seiichi, and this bizarre situation can't go on for much longer."

Jackal let out a snort and earned a dirty look from Niou, Shishido looked over glaring at them, daring the two to start something again.

Trying to listen maturely to Otori's words, the sibling fell into a silence that didn't often visit the house.

"I guess I should leave since Seiichi isn't here, but she's in charge of all of you," Otori said. No one was sure where he was leading wit this. "I feel responsible for taking her away from you. If I had been able to go on the honeymoon with her, this probably wouldn't have happened."

"I don't know about that," Oshitari said.

"It's true that Seiichi-nee isn't the type of person to want someone to take the blame," Shishido interjected, fully aware that no one could stop Seiichi once she had started something.

"But even thought Seiichi's gone, I can't just leave you guys alone," Otori continued.

"Marui is the only one underage here," Jackal who had just turned twenty and had officially become an adult, felt inclined to say.

"That's what I meant. One of you is a minor," Otori added patiently. The siblings didn't respond, so Otori waited a bit before continuing. "It looks like you're my new adopted children." He said grinning.

"No way!" was the instantaneous response.

"What are you thinking? Shishido said, banging his fist on the table.

"I think it's a great idea," Otori beamed. "you can call me 'Dad' from now on."

"Are you insane? How could we say something so mushy?" Jackal cried.

"Ouch, that's an awful way to put it, Otori replied faintly, as if he were really hurt.

"If you're even one day older, you can't be put in the family registry of someone younger," Oshitari said pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"really? I didn't know that. Well, I guess I give up the on the you guys then," Otori said, sighing wit hdeep regret.

"That's awful. It's too weird," Marui said, throwing an opinion out.

"Yeah, I don't know…adopted children is a little strange," Oshitari added.

With puppy dog eyes, Otori stared at the two of them. "Yu hate me that much?"

"It's has nothing to do with whether or not we like you. We've only known you for twelve days," Marui rationalized.

"I don't like you. When you showed up, Seiichi-nee left," Jackal said in a childish tone.

Otori gazed around the table as if he had no idea what any of the siblings were thinking.

Lines bored deep between Shishido's brows. "What's the matter with you, Chotarou? Are you even thinking? I'm the leader of this household here, and I've always done things that parents do!"

"Yea, well, obviously you're the head of the household…but officially, I'm your older brother," Otori pointed out. "You should feel free to lean on me…"

"Officially?" Shishido scoffed. "You were entered in the family registry only a month ago, so what does that have to do with anything?"

"But I'm your sister's husband," Otori replied. "In other words, your oldest brother. If you were picked up by the police, I'd be the one to come get you out!"

"Oh yea? Well, if you have a problem with that, get a divorce already! Go to the courthouse! I've been against this marriage from the start," Shishido cried in a hot temper as he pointed in the direction of the courthouse.

"But Shishido, for Otori to get divorced he needs seven years," Oshitari said.

"Do you think I can wait seven years?"

Shishido shouted at him. The second he said the word 'wait', his second least favorite word in the world, the August calendar rose up in his mind. "Hold on a second, what day is today?"

Shishido sucked in his breath, staring at the stark white calendar with the Obon holidays right smack in the middle.

"Are you working on your article for the October edition?" Shishido asked Otori, not wanting to know the answer but having to ask anyway.

"Hugh? What, already?"

Otori, whose expression rarely changed grew pale as he turned around and looked at the calendar.

"How many years have you been an author now?" Shishido all but screamed. "It's Obon! The publishing companies are all taking a break. Are you working on it?"

Otori's eyes swam. "But I've been so buys…"

"You haven't even done one page?"

Otori didn't reply, so Shishido asked again, "No even one word?"

"That's the way it is," Otori said with despair. Even more than 'wait' Shishido hated that phrase more than anything in the world. The rest of the family, though they had to relation as to what was going on, understood the importance of the situation, and so silence descended on the living room again.

"But Shishido-san, I got married, and then I was supposed to go on a honeymoon, and I couldn't go, now my bride is missing. It would be a miracle if I could write under these circumstances." Otori offered pitifully.

"Are you planning on a miracle for writing your monthly serial? I don't care if you need the hand of God or a magical spell, just get it done!" Shishido ordered mercilessly.

"How can I get it done if I haven't even stared? Shishido-san what am I to do?" Otori asked.

"Write! Right before my eyes!" Shishido grabbed Otori by the scruff of the neck and dragged him out of the room.

Jackal sat there annoyed that the important conversation had been interrupted with something that seemed so trivial.

"Don't leave yet! Didn't you say you wanted to settle this?" Jackal reached out and grabbed Otori's arm, stopping them.

Shishido turned back and looked at Jackal, "Now isn't the time."

The air was as oppressive as when someone received news that they parent had died. Silently Shishido turned back around and returned to dragging Otori out of the room yelling, "You are going to write something now! DO IT!" The entire time.

"How am I supposed to write with you staring at me like that?" Otori complained.

Their simmering anger plunged through the hall and reached the others that were left in the living room.

Oshitari let out a sigh as he looked at the calendar. "It's August, almost Obon. How does the year go by so fast?"

"I hate Shishido during this time of the year," Marui, who normally loved Shishido, said in a half whisper.

"Finally, something we agree on," Niou said. "This is the one time of the year that I can't stand Chotarou." His brows darkly drew together as he made a fist.

Marui nodded, "Agreed."

"His annoyance envelops the whole house. It's like he's an angry god or something," Jackal said, grinning his teeth as he remembered vividly how Shishido had yelled at him, and the pain he had suffered when he had been kicked to the veranda.

"It's hard when one family member has a job that makes them stop acting like a human being," Oshitari said.

"Seriously." Niou nodded.

The four of them sat down at the table. The atmosphere in the room felt like a brief pause in the midst of warfare, and each felt pained by the shrieks coming from Shishido's room.

"This is turning out the be a pretty strange summer vacation." Marui slowly took the homework planner from where it was always left below the telephone table and started to work.

"I know, man." Bass and jackal turned their eyes to the night game, where the bottom of the seventh the score was an amazing one.

"Well, Otori-san helping with the housework means I've been able to work on my graduation thesis," Oshitari said. "Marui, do you need help with anything you don't understand?"

"Yea, but I won't ask. No one here can do math," Marui said pointedly, opening the algebra textbook.

"You should ask Chotarou. He's pretty good at teaching," Niou said, taking advantage of Otori being gone by lighting a cigarette and taking a puff on it. He pointed one finger towards Shishido's room.

"Can he do math?" Marui asked.

"It's his specialty, even though he's a writer." Niou blew the words out with his smoke, in a voice of someone who hated the very idea of math.

"how luck!" Marui squealed. "I'll ask him to help me."

"What's wrong with all of you?" Perplexed by the siblings' responses, Niou looked at the three faces. "Aren't you worried? Your sister has disappeared in the South American jungle. Chotarou's having a hard time with it - his new wife is gone! Shouldn't you be worried whether she's alive or not?"

He drew another breath, wrinkles spreading between his brows.

The three siblings stared intently at him.

"Ah…you said you hadn't met Seiichi-nee, didn't you?" Oshitari asked rubbing his chin thoughtfully and nodded slightly.

"That's why you're worried," Jackal added.

"She's alive," Marui said bluntly, working on his homework. "She must have found something fun to do. She's the type who doesn't come home very often."

"Hold on. She was canoeing in the jungle! She disappeared all by herself? What sort of person is she?"

The siblings fell silent, then they began talking all at once.

"Seiichi-nee…"

"There's no way to describe her one word."

"Yeah."

Memories rose within each of them, and they sighed. Even Bass sighed, inexplicably.

"You're a minor, aren't you?" Jackal suddenly asked.

"So what?" Niou asked back.

"I'll tell ou now, when Seiichi-nee is here, we definitely can't smoke." Jackal stole one cigarette from Niou and lit it, shrugging. "When I was in middle school, I was caught smoking in the bathroom and the school leader came to my house. Seiichi-nee said she hated the idea osf sneaking cigarettes. She siad that if you're going to smoke, you might as well smoke out in the open," He said, remembering as he stared at the cigarette in his hand. "And then she called me an idiot and a stupid kid and punched me. She had a _Go_ piece in her hand , too."

"Jackal passed out, and Shishido prostrated himself to Seiichi-nee to make her stop," Oshitari mumbled, envisioning the bloody heap that Jackal had been.

Jackal chewed on his cigarette. "I couldn't stand for two weeks. I don't know how she can be so strict when she's the one who went to reform."

"You always talk about that - What do you mean 'reform?'" Marui asked, grasping a pencil.

"Reform school," Niou said, stepping in for Oshitari and Jackal, who always refused to answer.

"Huh? What did Seiichi-nee do?" Hearing this for the first time, Marui looked at their faces in surprised.

"You don't have to do something really bad to go there," Niou explained. "They're really strict on minors."

"It sounds like you have personal experience," Jackal said.

"Cut it out Jackal…Marui is probably old enough to hear about it. It was a long time ago," Oshitari said to Marui, who was staring at him in an anxious manner. "There used to be violent gangs."

"I know," Marui said. "I've seen them on TV."

"Seiichi-nee was a squad leader. She used to mess around with iron pipes, race full throttle through red lights…thought I've never quite figured out why that's supposed to be fun," Oshitari said, shaking his head.

"There are still some in Osaka," Niou put in.

"There are any here anymore," Oshitari said, "but Seiichi-nee was part of the golden age. She was sent to reform school for lighting fires at police stations and almost killing people in fights…"

"Holy shit," Niou said, not believing his ears. His eyes widened.

"I'm just glad she's not a murderer," Marui said.

"Although it was the first time Marui had heard of any of this, there was no doubt in the youngest sibling's mid that Seiichi was capable of doing all those tings.

"Right after Seiichi-nee, left, our parent's passed away. So Seiichi-nee quite the gang, pretended she was older than she really was, and put Shishido through high school by prostitution. She got some connection and started writing about the sex industry, and since she's pretty good at writing, she published some books and stuff. Shishido and I used that money to go to college." Oshitari wasn't happy about the circumstances but was certainly thankful for them. "But about three years later, she became to visible and her past came out. We were all surprise to find out that she had committed all sorts of crimes that we didn't even know about." Oshitari laughed dryly. Jackal sighed.

"I didn't know anything about that." Marui said.

"We arranged things on purpose so you wouldn't know," Oshitari explained. "Seiichi-nee took you on a trip, remember?"

"Oh, you mean when she took me out of school and we went to Okinawa?" Marui clapped, the sudden trip had taken place during the spring of his freshman year in middle school.

"What is Chotarou thinking, marrying a woman like that?" Niou said suddenly.

Annoyed, Jackal stood up. "Okay, I can't ignore that one. What do you mean by 'a woman like that?'"

"You get angry when people say the truth?" Niou asked.

"Of course!" Jackal responded. "No matter what Seiichi-nee has done, she is still our sister!"

"Ah, I see. You're in love with your sister!" Niou exclaimed with a small laugh.

The short truce had ended, and another brawl started in the living room, shaking the house and disrupting the neighbors.

* * *

**Ah, now we know the past of Yukimura! He...she....was a very violent person! I mean come on almost killing someone? GEZZUMS! -sigh- oh well it can't be helped. I really should have made Akaya have Marui's place but Kirihara doesn't look like a girl so it would destroy Niou's joke. Poor Marui is having to act like a bubble head though, well he kinda is to begin with but that isn't the point at all.  
AND NO I HAVEN"T FORGOTTEN! I will get you those Scanlations (only god konws if you are even going to see this by then...oh well) I promise! **

**Until next time (or whenever I'm not being a lazy ass),**

**animeo**


	4. Chapter IV

**Hello all! I have returned sort of. I am slowly but surely working on my other fics, just not as quickly as I used to. I've just gotten really busy as of late, between school, my sister being a weirdy, and this new Site Elle-chan and I are making (Do go by and check it out! the address is on my profile page! potrambles(.)synthasite(.)com you know what to remove!) Things have been rather hectic for me. Not to mention my sudden inablity to type and spell correctly, trust me that's been a battle in it's self. Any way, do enjoy!**

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Probably in response to the deadline passing by, a fancy meal was arranged on the old dining table in the living room. It was evident to the siblings that Otori didn't just like cooking, but he used it as a way to relieve stress.

With no complaints about the bountiful meal itself, the three youngest siblings peered at Otori.

"It's just not right," They muttered.

Otori, wearing a combination of button-down shirt and slacks that might as well have been his uniform, had tied on a white apron he had procured from somewhere, and was putting together a lunch box. Obviously, the apron did not fit at all with his cool image.

"Don't pay him any mind. If you leave Chotarou alone, he'll walk around in sweatshirts and baggy underwear. I told him to make sure he was always wearing a shirt and pants," Niou said.

"Baggy underwear." Imagining it, Oshitari's mind ground to a halt and his eyebrows knitted together into a coil. He grabbed his head. "It would be pretty cruel to put someone outside wearing only a pair of underwear."

"What are you talking about?" Otori asked removing the handkerchief from his head and bringing the newly finished lunch box into the living room.

"We were saying that you don't have to put that on," Niou said.

"But I don't want to get hair in the food," Otori said, pouring Niou some tea.

"We'd rather eat your hair than see you looking like that in the morning. It's just not right," Niou shot back, cleaning his teeth with a toothpick.

"Morning? Not right? What?" With absolutely no idea what Niou was saying, Otori tilted his head and stopped what he was doing.

"I'm not quite sure," Marui said.

"Marui, what are you saying?" Otori asked, even more perplexed.

"So, Otori-san…are you all rested up?" Oshitari asked, clearing his dishes and attempting to end what was turning out to be a disagreeable conversation.

"Yea, as soon as I finished my work, I slept really well."

"Congratulations," Oshitari said, remembering how it had been on the final hellish night when it hadn't seemed as if Otori would finish.

"Hmm." At those words, Otori grew calmer than he usually was, and a bit darker too. "I don't really remember how I finished it," he admitted with a sheepish laugh.

However, everyone else in the house remembered exactly how he and Shishido had fought like a married couple. It just wasn't something anyone wanted to bring up.

"Living together, we have to experience that hell once a month," Marui said in a voice very close to despair, sucking on the end of a pair of chopsticks.

"I'm sorry, Marui," Otori apologized. "I'll work harder next time."

"Shishido said you always say that." Marui looked pointedly up at Otori, who always made Shishido unhappy.

"It's just like watching a horse and a jockey."

"Shouldn't you just start it earlier, like I do with my homework?" Marui asked.

"Don't compare Chotarou's work to homework, you idiot," Niou said.

Marui burst out laughing.

Otori began cleaning up after Jackal, the children's brief skirmish bothering him.

"Don't worry about that, Otori-san," Oshitari interrupted. "Jackal, clean up after yourself."

"Okay." Jackal stood up reluctantly, and began to clean up.

"Otori-san," Oshitari said, "you have your own work to do, so please don't think that you need to do everything else in the house as well."

"But the only woman in the family is gone, so I have to be the mother, too," Otori said.

"Woman?" Unsure for a second whom Otori was talking about, Oshitari tilted his head to the side.

"If you say things like that, Seiichi-nee's fists will come flying all the way from South America," Marui said wisely. "She'll say 'who said that women have to do the housework?'"

"Oh, you're talking about Seiichi-nee? You've misunderstood me. Since Seiichi-nee has left, there's been as lot less housework to do. She only cooked for the first year, and then decided that she was in charge of earning for the household and decided not to do anything else. She doesn't even pour her own beer," Oshitari said, laughing hollowly, having been told by the master that he was the wife.

"But since mom died, Seiichi-nee's made me a yukata every year. We shared the cleaning, and Oshitari take care of the rest," Marui murmured.

"So I'm taking Oshitari-kun's work?" Furrowing his brows, Otori wondered if he had made things worse.

Oshitari waved both hands, brushing off Otori's concern. "No! Thanks to you, I've been able to work on my graduation thesis, which I'm grateful for."

"If you don't mind, I'll do the housework then," said Otori. "Focus on your studying. Seiichi always bragged about her talented little brother, saying that you would become a lawyer some day."

"She's exaggerating," Oshitari said, laughing to hid his embarrassment as he adjusted his glasses.

Marui, head tilted down, looked like as ad puppy with flattened ears. "Come to think of it, we all used to take care of chores, but somehow Oshitari ended up doing everything. Sorry…"

Oshitari smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm just happy to be able to each such good food."

"Otori's cooking is really good." Marui, who was unable to making anything other than toxic rolled omelets, bit into a delicious piece of egg and smiled.

"Huh? Why is everyone awake?" Shishido, wearing nothing more than a pair of underwear with his hair sticking out everywhere and the shadow of a beard on his face, scratched his butt as he came into te room.

"You're so disgusting, even first thing in the morning," Marui said.

"I can't help it," Shishido retorted. "I'm in the middle of proofreading."

"If you just put a little effort in it, you'd be quite the guy," Marui commented.

"If I did, would the proofreading end?" Shishido shot back.

Not caring what his youngest sibling though, Shishido sat at the table without washing his hands.

"If you're finished with proofing, why don't you sleep?" Otori said, looking at his watch as he gave Shishido some tea.

"I'm not done yet," Shishido replied.

"So you're ready to eat?" Otori asked.

Shishido's affirmative answer, Otori went to get rice and miso soup.

"Somehow it feels like Shishido has brought a wife home." Marui, who had just called Shishido disgusting, was a bit jealous and drew closer to the oldest brother. "I can pour your tea for you."

Grabbing hold of the newspaper and finally waking up, Shishido realized that Marui was getting ready to go out. "What are you doing? Are you going somewhere?"

"The Edo-Tokyo Museum. I thought I'd do my Japanese History homework."

"Ah, good thinking. Want me to give you a ride on my bike?" Shishido offered absently.

"Really? Sure!" Marui, who had hoped for that all along, brought both hands up in the air and ran upstairs to retrieve the aforementioned homework.

"I have to go to the university library, so I'd better get ready too," Oshitari said.

"It's pretty early," Shishido muttered.

"There's a book I want to borrow, and I have to fight for it."

"Oh. Well, good luck," Shishido said.

Oshitari smiled, nodded to his brother, and headed to the second floor with the lunch box that Otori made for him.

Left alone in the living room with Jackal and Niou, Shishido finally took note of his other brother. "Hey, how long have you been here? You're really quite."

"Not really," Jackal answered sulkily, feeling left out. He stuck his lunch box on top of the bag that held is practice gloves.

"you seem to have no problem eating Chotarou's food. If you really don't want him here, you should be strong enough to resist eating," Niou said.

"I'm a poor boxer." Jackal zipped his bag up and glared darkly back at Niou.

"That's a nice excuse. But I think that if someone makes you a meal, you should at least say thank you. Or maybe things work differently in Tokyo," Niou said, clearing his own dishes.

Annoyed, Jackal ground his teeth.

"You're the rude one. I have no intention of accepting Seiichi-nee's husband!"

Shouldering his bag, Jackal left the house with a loud bang.

Niou brought the dishes into the kitchen and spoke to Otori. "He's so stupid…Chotarou, I'm going out too!"

"Why?"

"I'm going to hang out. It's boring here," Niou said simply, and departed through the veranda, empty handed.

"Niou, come back before dinner," Otori said, brining Shishido his food. But Niou's footsteps had already faded away.

"By the way, what's with your outfit?" Shishido asked, finally waking up enough to notice Otori's odd ensemble. He heaved a sih and tapped his nails against the table.

"There was a wagon sale at a nearby shop yesterday," Otori revealed. "It's really convenient, actually. I don't hve to worry about getting my clothes dirty."

"Don't you dare think of going outside like that," Shishido warned. "It looks like you're somebody's wife or something."

"I already took the garbage out," Otori said.

"You didn't see anyone did you?" Shishido asked.

"Just one of the wives from the neighborhood," Otori admitted. "She gave me some advice."

"What did you talk about? You didn't tell her that you're Seiichi-nee's husband, did you?" Shishido asked with increasing horror.

"But…it's the truth!" Otori protested.

Otori back away from the waves of rage that fell off of Shishido.

"You…" Shishido, his eyes narrowed, opened his mouth as if to yell, but no words came out. Instead, he tore at his hair.

Timidly, Otori peered at Shishido's face, which was silently tiled towards the ground.

"I'm sorry, Shishido-san," he apologized in a tiny voice, as if not wanting to cause additional hurt.

His elbows on the table, Shishido raised his face and turned a sudden glance at Otori. Then he abruptly realized how awful it was for the two of them to be alone together like this, with nothing to do with work.

"Chotarou." Shishido put his face in his hands, looked towards the side, and sighed. "Why are you here?"

Otori didn't immediately answer, and instead set a pair of chopsticks next to Shishido. "Because it's my fault that Seiichi is gone?"

"that's not what I'm asking!" Angered, Shishido hit the tips of the chopsticks.

Bass, sleeping on the veranda, stealthily opened his eyes.

"Well…"

Otori met the eyes of the old dog who had lifted his head, and then let out a sigh.

"What?" Shishido prompted.

Otori's eyes dropped to the floor. Their conversation suddenly stopped, and the two of them avoided each other's eyes, not saying anything.

Otori suddenly stood up and wiped his hands on the hem of his apron.

"I'm going o go check on the washer."

Watching from the corner of his eyes Otori's thin ankles leaving the room, Shishido picked up the warm bowl of miso soup. He silently listened to the sound of the washer churning.

Every morning, Shishido ate the food that Otori made and listened to him doing laundry. When Shishido thought calmly about the situation, he realized how normal the routine had become to him.

"Ugh…how did this happen?" Opening his newspaper and eating his food, Shishido went to pour himself some tea and noticed that the kettle was nowhere to be found.

It was his custom to drink tea after a meal, and, as there was no one in the living room but him and Bass, Shishido had no choice but to go to the kitchen and make it himself. But, because of his usual job in the household was cleaning the bathroom aor putting things together, he had no idea where anything was.

"Oshitari…said he was going to school," He murmured to himself. About to call his second brother, Shishido remembered that his brother had been in a hurry. "Damn."

Deciding he had no choice but to ask Otori, Shishido stuck the newspaper under his arm and, scratching his head, headed into the hall.

Seeing Otori near the entryway, Shishido almost called out to him, but he noticed that Oshitari had come down from the stairs and was talking to Otori. Shishido stopped in place.

"Ah, Oshitari-kun, you haven't left yet?"

Otori, laughing, mad a motion as if to send Oshitari off.

"Yeah."

Oshitari didn't make an effort to leave, and instead bowed his head, hesitantly hiding something behind him.

"What's wrong?" Otori asked.

"Otori." Oshitari pulled out a thick hardcover book from behind him and presented it to Otori. "Do you think you could sign this for me?" He asked.

Otori looked at the cover and, surprised, open his eyes wide. "This is mine. Oshitari-kun I thought you only read romance novels."

"I do actually, but I found this in Shishido's room and sort of snatched it for my own, then He made me buy my own copy since I liked it so much.." Oshitari, still hanging his head down, rushed the words out in one breath, his face faintly red even to Shishido's eyes.

"I never thought he actually would, that sap." Shishido mumbled.

"Thanks! That's great to hear. I liked this book a lot too." Otori smiled happily. He took a pen from Oshitari and opened the book. "It's kind of embarrassing to see my own books, though. The title is so overblown."

"But Shishido's pretty simple when it comes to science fiction," Oshitari said.

"Yeah," Otori agreed, "he gets mad at me a lot, but because I majored in literature I just can't get used to it. Anyway, it's kind of embarrassing, but I'll write something."

Picking aside the colored inside cover, Otori write a proper dedication to Oshitari. Then he put his head down, turned the book around, and handed it over.

Oshitari took the book, embraced it, and hesitantly gave Otori his impression. "I really like the end, when the hero takes off walking in the desert all by himself…hey, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead," Otori said. "Ask me anything."

"Does he die?" Oshitari asked.

"No, not at all." Otori smiled and shot a question back. "What do you think? How do you want it to end?"

Unsure of whether he should say anything or not, Oshitari glanced quickly at Otori. "I hop he lives…hat he found the daybreak he was searching for…"

"If you think so, then that means he found it," Otori said with conviction. "That's how stories are."

Oshitari smiled. The silence that ensued suddenly seemed a bit uncomfortable, so he excused himself, saying he had to go.

"Take care!" Otori said.

"Alright."

The peaceful exchange was not all normal for the household. Oshitari tied his backpack and shouldered it, but instead of standing up immediately, he instead loosened the string once more.

"Hey, Otori…why do you speak so politely?" he suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"It's unusual. Other than me, I've never really met anyone else who does," Oshitari said as he slowly fixed the tie on his bag, his back turned to Otori.

At he sudden unexpected question, there was a pause as if Otori was searching for an excuse. "I…I lived for a long time with people older than me. Maybe that's why. It's become my habit to have really good manners, probably. What bout you? Why are you the only one among your brothers who speaks politely?"

"Well…" Oshitari smiled sadly, his hands stopping their movement. "No major reason." He put his hand on the front door, as if he didn't intend to answer.

"Oshitari," Otori called to his retreating back. "Are you disappointed that it's not the same reason?"

Oshitari turned back slightly. Shishido, listening from afar, had no idea what Otori meant.

"But I really like the soft way you talk," Otori added.

Oshitari fully turned around, bewildered, to look at Otori. Then he smiled slightly, said "see you later," and left.

Watching Oshitari walk away until his shadow disappeared from the glass door, Otori turned and only then noticed Shishido's presence.

"There's no way you're Japanese," Shishido said bluntly.

"You're here, Shishido-san." Ashamed for a second, Otori smiled bitterly.

Half amazed and half admiring, Shishido drew his brows together. "You say thinks like that with such an easy face."

"But…sometimes people want to hear those kinds of things," Otori said hesitantly, and looked back at the entryway. "Oshitari speaks that way to be different from the rest of you."

"Ah." Al at once, Shishido understood the meaning of Otori's words, which hadn't made any sense at first. He looked towards the entryway. "Yeah. I never though of it like that." Shishido cast his eyes down, feeling worthless. "He's the middle of five siblings, and the rest of us are so loud…Oshitari is always third after two other people. Of course he wanted to be a little bit different."

Shishido suddenly felt bad at the thought that he hadn't noticed how strong his brother's emotions really were. No wonder he spent so much time reading trashy romance novels, they were just as emotional as he was. "We've all taken advantage of him."

"I think Oshitari-kun would be happy just knowing that you realize that," Otori said kindly.

"He's important to me, too." Not knowing why, Shishido grew suddenly annoyed, and raised his head to stare at Otori. "But I can't just say that."

"Even if you don't say anything, siblings understand," Otori said, tilting his head an smiling as if to ignore Shishido's annoyance.

From outside came the sound of bikes racing through the busy morning street and elementary school children heading to the pool.

"Yeah, siblings. But there are more things that need to be said to a stranger." Shishido's tone suddenly dropped, his voice almost drowned out by the sounds. "Isn't there something you want to ask me?"

At his whisper, the sound of the children running pas grew louder. Shishido stared at Otori's emotionless lips as they formed words.

"What?" Shishido's voice, a bit hoarser than usual, reached Shishido's ears. "Did you say something Shishido-san? I couldn't hear you." Otori inclined his head and smile.

"…I said I'd better get going. There's a bit of time before my next deadline. Marui, let's go!" Entirely forgetting that he had been searching for the kettle, Shishido yelled after his sibling still annoyed. At the sound of Marui running, Shishido turned his back on Otori's face without any further comments.

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**As I said, I've been having problems typing, so the mistakes that are there (of which there are pobably THOUSANDS!) please disregard them.**

**animeo**


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